Mechanism for performing equalization without prior knowledge of modulation type or constellation order

ABSTRACT

A system, method and memory medium for performing blind equalization. A block {u n } of the baseband samples is received. A function J of a vector f is minimized to determine a minimizer f MIN . The function J depends on vector f according to J(f)=Σ(|y n | 2 −γ) 2 . The summation Σ corresponds to a sequence {y n } of equalized samples. The sequence {y n } of equalized samples is related to the block {u n } according to a convolution relation {y n }={u n }*f. Parameter γ is a current modulus value. The current modulus value γ is updated to equal a ratio of a fourth moment of the sequence {y n } to a second moment of the sequence {y n }. The minimization and parameter update operations are repeated for a series of received blocks of baseband samples. The minimizer f MIN  from a last of the repetitions is used to determine final equalized samples.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/977,467, filed Dec. 23, 2010, entitled “Variable Modulus Mechanismfor Performing Equalization Without A Priori Knowledge of ModulationType or Constellation Order”, invented by Pratik Prabhanjan Brahma andBaijayanta Ray, which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. 119to Indian Provisional Application No. 1794/DEL/2010, filed with thePatent Office of India on Jul. 30, 2010, entitled “Various ReceiverSystems and Methods”, and invented by Baijayanta Ray, Nikhil AshokDeshmukh, Pratik Prabhanjan Brahma, Ankit Sethi, Kunal Agarwal, SartajChaudhury, and Utkarsh Gupta. That provisional application is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety as though fully and completelyset forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of telecommunication, andmore specifically, to systems and methods for performing blindequalization of received signals, to compensate for the distortionintroduced by a communication channel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

A transmitter receives a sequence of data bits, maps the sequence ofdata bits into a sequence {x_(k)} of symbols, modulates a carrier signal(or an orthogonal pair of carrier signals) based on the symbol sequence{x_(k)} to obtain a modulated signal, and transmits the modulated signalonto a communication channel. A receiver receives a distorted version ofthe transmitted signal from the communication channel. The receiver maycapture a sequence {u_(n)} of samples of the received signal and performequalization on the sequence {u_(n)} in order to compensate for thedistorting effects of the channel. Equalization involves computing anequalization vector f, and convolving the equalization vector f with thesequence {u_(n)} to obtain an equalized sequence {y_(n)}. The receivermay operate on the equalized sequence to recover a stream of informationbits.

In classical equalization, the transmitter injects a training sequenceinto the transmitted symbol sequence {x_(k)}. The training sequence isknown by the receiver, and thus, the receiver may adapt its equalizationvector until the equalized output sequence {y_(n)} matches the trainingsequence. The equalization vector resulting from the adaptation may beused to equalize unknown portions of the received signal.

In the absence of a training sequence (or knowledge of the trainingsequence), the receiver may employ the so-called “constant modulusalgorithm” (CMA) to equalize the received signal. The CMA is describedin “Self-recovering equalization and carrier tracking in two-dimensionaldata communication systems”, D. N. Godard, IEEE Transactions onCommunications, Vol. 28, No. 11, pp. 1867-1875, November 1980.

The basic principle of the CMA is to minimize a cost function J_(CMA)over the space of equalization vectors f. The cost function J_(CMA) isgiven by the expression:J _(CMA)(f)=E{(|y _(n)|²−γ)²},  (1)where {y_(n)} is the sequence of equalized samples derived from thereceived sample sequence {u_(n)} by convolution with equalization vectorf: {y_(n)}={u_(n)}*f. The cost function given in expression (1) is thecost function for a 2-2 CMA.

The notation E[s_(n)] denotes the expected value of the sequence{s_(n)}. The expected value E[s_(n)] may be computed by taking anaverage over the range of index n. For example, where index n runs from0 to N−1, the expected value E[s_(n)] may be computed based on theexpression:

${E\left\lbrack s_{n} \right\rbrack} = {\frac{1}{N}{\sum\limits_{n = 0}^{N - 1}\;{s_{n}.}}}$

The cost function J_(CMA) involves a constant modulus parameter γ givenby:

$\begin{matrix}{{\gamma = \frac{E\left\lbrack {x_{k}}^{4} \right\rbrack}{E\left\lbrack {x_{k}}^{2} \right\rbrack}},} & (2)\end{matrix}$where {x_(k)} is a sequence of the transmitted symbols. The value of γfor a constant modulus signal such as PSK is constant. (A signal is saidto be a “constant modulus signal” whenever all the points in themodulation constellation have the same modulus (i.e., radius) in thecomplex plane.) However, prior works have suggested that the CMA is alsoable to equalize non-constant modulus signals such as QAM of modulationorder greater than 8. (See “Blind Equalization Using the ConstantModulus Criterion: A Review”, C. R. Johnson, Jr., P. Schniter, T. J.Endres, J. D. Behm, D. R. Brown, and R. A. Casas, Proceedings of theIEEE, Vol. 86, No. 10, pp 1927-1950, 1998.) (The modulation order of amodulation scheme is the number of points in its constellation.) In suchcases, the value of γ will be a constellation-dependent parameter.

The CMA performs a stochastic gradient-decent algorithm to determine aminimizing equalization vector f. (The equalization vector f representsthe impulse response of the receiver's equalizer.)

Unfortunately, the CMA suffers from two major limitations.

First, the CMA uses a fourth order moment (e.g.,γ=E[|x_(k)|⁴]/E[|x_(k)|²]) in its cost function. The value of theparameter γ should be approximately known to the receiver. However, thisparameter cannot be held constant if the modulation density (i.e., thenumber of points in the constellation) changes significantly. Thus, theCMA is not an appropriate solution for blind equalization of a widevariety of modulation schemes with different densities, without any sideinformation.

Second, the CMA typically takes a large number of symbols to converge.

Thus, there exists a need for systems and methods capable of performingequalization even when the modulation scheme and/or constellation isunknown.

SUMMARY

In one set of embodiments, a method for performing blind equalization onreceived samples may involve the following operations:

(a) receiving a block {u_(n)} of the received samples;

(b) minimizing a function J of a vector argument f to determine aminimizing vector f_(MIN), wherein the function J depends on the vectorargument f according to the expression J(f)=Σ(|y_(n)|²−γ)², wherein thesummation Σ corresponds to a sequence {y_(n)} of equalized samples,wherein the sequence {y_(n)} of equalized samples is related to theblock {u_(n)} of received samples according to a convolution relation{y_(n)}={u_(n)}*f, wherein γ is a current modulus parameter value;

(c) computing a fourth moment of the sequence {y_(n)} corresponding tothe minimizing vector f_(MIN);

(d) computing a second moment of the sequence {y_(n)} corresponding tothe minimizing vector f_(MIN);

(e) updating the current modulus parameter value γ to be equal to aratio of the fourth moment to the second moment.

Furthermore, the method may also include: repeating (a) through (e)until a termination condition is satisfied; and convolving the receivedsamples with the minimizing vector f_(MIN) from a last of saidrepetitions of (a) through (e) to determine final equalized samples.

In some embodiments, the termination condition is the condition that achange in the current modulus parameter value γ between successiverepetitions of (a) through (e) is smaller than a predeterminedthreshold.

In some embodiments, the method may further include: displaying aconstellation plot of the final equalized samples via a display device.

In some embodiments, the method may also include: receiving user inputidentifying a modulation type and constellation order after saiddisplaying the constellation plot; and demodulating the final equalizedsamples based on the identified modulation type and the identifiedconstellation order in order to obtain a bit sequence.

In some embodiments, the method may also include: performing a clusteranalysis on the final equalized samples to determine a constellationorder implicit in the received samples.

In some embodiments, the process of minimizing the function J includesperforming a stochastic gradient descent algorithm.

In some embodiments, the method operates without any a priori knowledgeof the modulation type used to form the received samples.

In some embodiments, a next repetition of said minimizing starts withthe minimizing vector f_(MIN) determined in a current repetition of saidminimizing

The following numbered paragraphs describe various other embodiments.

1.1 A method for performing blind equalization (e.g., equalizationwithout any knowledge of the modulation scheme or constellation orderimplicit in the received signal) on received samples, the methodcomprising: (a) receiving a block {u_(n)} of the received samples; (b)minimizing a function J of a vector argument f to determine a minimizingvector f_(MIN), wherein the function J depends on the vector argument faccording to the expression J(f)=E[(|y_(n)|²−γ)²], wherein E denotes anaverage over time index n, wherein {y_(n)} is an equalized sequence thatis related to the block {u_(n)} of received samples according to aconvolution relation {y_(n)}={u_(n)}*f, wherein γ is a current modulusvalue; (c) computing a fourth moment of the equalized sequence {y_(n)}corresponding to the minimizing vector f_(MIN); (d) computing a secondmoment of the equalized sequence {y_(n)} corresponding to the minimizingvector f_(MIN); (e) setting the current modulus value γ equal to a ratioof the fourth moment to the second moment; repeating (a) through (e)until a termination condition is satisfied; equalizing the receivedsamples using the minimizing vector f_(MIN) from a last of saidrepetitions of (a) through (e) to determine a final equalized sequence.

1.2. The method of paragraph 1.1, wherein the termination condition isthe condition that a change in the current modulus value γ betweensuccessive repetitions of (a) through (e) is smaller than apredetermined threshold.

1.3 The method of paragraph 1.1, further comprising: displaying thefinal equalized sequence via a display device, or more generally,driving an output device with an output signal derived from the finalequalized sequence.

1.4 The method of paragraph 1.1, further comprising: demodulating theequalized sequence to recover a stream of information bits, and,generating an output signal based on the stream of information bits. Theoutput signal may be supplied to an output device (such as a display orspeaker or actuator) for presentation to a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments isconsidered in conjunction with the following drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a constellation plot of an 8-QAM signal equalized using oneembodiment the variable modulus algorithm (VMA).

FIGS. 2A-2D are constellation diagrams of: (A) actual GMSK signalextracted from a GSM burst; (B) received signal after passing throughchannel and adding white Gaussian noise; (C) equalized output usingCMA-FSE; and (D) equalized output using VMA-FSE.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method forperforming blind equalization.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a computer system may be used toperform any of the method embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of the computer system of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary wireless device, such as a wirelesstelephone, which may implement embodiments of the invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should beunderstood, however, that the drawings and detailed description theretoare not intended to limit the invention to the particular formdisclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Terminology

The following is a glossary of terms used in the present document.

Memory Medium—A memory medium is a medium configured for the storage andretrieval of information. Examples of memory media include: variouskinds of semiconductor memory such as RAM and ROM; various kinds ofmagnetic media such as magnetic disk, tape, strip and film; variouskinds of optical media such as CD-ROM and DVD-ROM; various media basedon the storage of electrical charge and/or other physical quantities;media fabricated using various lithographic techniques; etc. The term“memory medium” may also include a set of two or more memory media whichreside at different locations, e.g., at different computers that areconnected over a network.

Programmable Hardware Element—a hardware device that includes multipleprogrammable function blocks connected via a programmable interconnect.Examples include FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs(Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field Programmable Object Arrays),and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmable function blocks may rangefrom fine grained (combinatorial logic or look up tables) to coarsegrained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). A programmablehardware element may also be referred to as “reconfigurable logic”.

Program—the term “program” is intended to have the full breadth of itsordinary meaning. As used herein, the term “program” includes within itsscope of meaning: 1) a software program which is stored in a memory andis executable by a processor, or, 2) a hardware configuration programuseable for configuring a programmable hardware element. Any of themethod embodiments described herein, or, any combination of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets may beimplemented in terms of one or more programs.

Software Program—the term “software program” is intended to have thefull breadth of its ordinary meaning, and includes any type of programinstructions, code, script and/or data, or combinations thereof, thatmay be stored in a memory medium and executed by a processor or computersystem. Exemplary software programs include: programs written intext-based programming languages such as C, C++, Java™, Pascal, Fortran,Perl, etc.; graphical programs (i.e., programs written in graphicalprogramming languages); assembly language programs; programs that havebeen compiled to machine language; scripts; and other types ofexecutable software. A software program may comprise two or moresubprograms that interoperate in a specified manner.

Hardware Configuration Program—a program, e.g., a netlist or bit file,that can be used to program or configure a programmable hardwareelement.

Graphical Program—A program comprising a plurality of interconnectednodes or icons, where the plurality of interconnected nodes or iconsvisually indicate the functionality of the program. A graphical programis a type of diagram.

The following provides examples of various aspects of graphicalprograms. The following examples and discussion are not intended tolimit the above definition of graphical program, but rather provideexamples of what the term “graphical program” encompasses.

The nodes in a graphical program may be connected in one or more of adata flow, control flow, and/or, execution flow format. The nodes mayalso be connected in a “signal flow” format, which is a subset of dataflow.

Exemplary graphical program development environments which may be usedto create graphical programs include LabVIEW, DasyLab, DiaDem andMatrixx/SystemBuild from National Instruments, Simulink from theMathWorks, VEE from Agilent, WiT from Coreco, Vision Program Managerfrom PPT Vision, SoftWIRE from Measurement Computing, Sanscript fromNorthwoods Software, Khoros from Khoral Research, SnapMaster from HEMData, VisSim from Visual Solutions, ObjectBench by SES (Scientific andEngineering Software), and VisiDAQ from Advantech, among others.

The term “graphical program” includes models or block diagrams createdin graphical modeling environments, where the model or block diagramcomprises interconnected nodes or icons that visually indicate operationof the model or block diagram; exemplary graphical modeling environmentsinclude Simulink, SystemBuild, VisSim, Hypersignal Block Diagram, etc.

A graphical program may be represented in the memory of the computersystem as data structures and/or program instructions. The graphicalprogram, e.g., these data structures and/or program instructions, may becompiled or interpreted to produce machine language that accomplishesthe desired method or process as shown in the graphical program.

Input data to a graphical program may be received from any of varioussources, such as a receiver (e.g., an RF receiver), a signal processingboard, a modem (e.g., a cable modem), a network interface (e.g., a wiredor wireless network interface), a unit under test, a process beingmeasured or controlled, another computer program, a database, or from afile. Also, a user may input data to a graphical program or virtualinstrument using a graphical user interface, e.g., a front panel.

A graphical program may optionally have a GUI associated with thegraphical program. In this case, the plurality of interconnected nodesare often referred to as the block diagram portion of the graphicalprogram.

Data Flow Graphical Program (or Data Flow Diagram)—A graphical programor diagram comprising a plurality of interconnected nodes, where theconnections between the nodes indicate that data produced by one node isused by another node.

Node—In the context of a graphical program, an element that may beincluded in a graphical program. A node may have an associated icon thatrepresents the node in the graphical program, as well as underlying codeand/or data that implements functionality of the node. Exemplary nodesinclude function nodes, sub-program nodes (sub-VIs), terminal nodes,structure nodes, etc. Nodes may be connected together in a graphicalprogram by connection icons or wires.

Graphical User Interface—this term is intended to have the full breadthof its ordinary meaning. The term “Graphical User Interface” is oftenabbreviated to “GUI”. A GUI may include one or more input GUI elements,one or more output GUI elements, or both input and output GUI elements.

The following provides examples of various aspects of GUIs. Thefollowing examples and discussion are not intended to limit the ordinarymeaning of GUI, but rather provide examples of what the term “graphicaluser interface” encompasses.

A GUI may comprise a single window having one or more GUI Elements, ormay comprise more than one window, each having one or more GUI Elements.

A GUI may be associated with a diagram, e.g., a graphical program. Inthis instance, various mechanisms may be used to connect GUI Elements inthe GUI with nodes or icons in the diagram/graphical program. Forexample, when Input Controls and Output Indicators are created in theGUI, corresponding nodes (e.g., terminals) may be automatically createdin the diagram or graphical program. Alternatively, the user can placeterminal nodes in the diagram which may cause the display ofcorresponding GUI Elements front panel objects in the GUI, either atedit time or later at run time. As another example, the GUI may compriseGUI Elements embedded in the block diagram portion of the graphicalprogram.

Front Panel—A Graphical User Interface that includes input controls andoutput indicators, and that enables a user to interactively control ormanipulate the input being provided to a program or diagram, and viewoutput of the program or diagram, during execution.

A front panel is a type of GUI. A front panel may be associated with adiagram or graphical program as described above.

In an instrumentation application, the front panel can be analogized tothe front panel of an instrument. In an industrial automationapplication the front panel can be analogized to the MMI (Man MachineInterface) of a device. The user may adjust the controls on the frontpanel to affect the input, and view the output on the respectiveindicators.

Graphical User Interface Element—an element of a graphical userinterface, such as for providing input or displaying output. Exemplarygraphical user interface elements comprise input controls and outputindicators

Input Control—a graphical user interface element for providing userinput to a program. Exemplary input controls comprise dials, knobs,sliders, switches, text input boxes, numeric input fields, etc.

Output Indicator—a graphical user interface element for displayingoutput from a program. Exemplary output indicators include charts,graphs, gauges, text output boxes, numeric displays, etc. An outputindicator is sometimes referred to as an “output control”.

Computer System—any of various types of computing or processing systems,including a personal computer (PC), a mainframe computer system, aworkstation, a laptop, a table computer, a network appliance, anInternet appliance, a hand-held or mobile device, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a television system, a grid computing system, or otherdevice or combinations of devices. In general, the term “computersystem” can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combinationof devices) having at least one processor that is configured to executeinstructions that are stored on a memory medium.

Measurement Device—includes instruments, data acquisition devices, smartsensors and any of various types of devices that are operable to acquireand/or store data. A measurement device may also optionally be furtheroperable to analyze or process the acquired or stored data. Examples ofa measurement device include an instrument, such as a traditionalstand-alone “box” instrument, a computer-based instrument (instrument ona card) or external instrument, a data acquisition card, a deviceexternal to a computer that operates similarly to a data acquisitioncard, a smart sensor, one or more DAQ or measurement cards or modules ina chassis, an image acquisition device, such as an image acquisition (ormachine vision) card, a video capture board, a smart camera, a motioncontrol device, a robot having machine vision, and other similar typesof devices. Exemplary “stand-alone” instruments include oscilloscopes,multimeters, signal analyzers, signal demodulators, arbitrary waveformgenerators, spectroscopes, and similar measurement, test, or automationinstruments.

A measurement device may be further operable to perform controlfunctions, e.g., in response to analysis of the acquired or stored data.For example, the measurement device may send a control signal to anexternal system, such as a motion control system or to a sensor, inresponse to particular data. A measurement device may also be operableto perform automation functions, e.g., may receive and analyze data, andissue automation control signals in response.

Embodiments of the present inventions may be realized in any of variousforms. For example, any of the present inventions may be realized as acomputer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or acomputer system. Furthermore, any of the present inventions may berealized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such asASICs or FPGA's.

A computer-readable memory medium is a memory medium that stores programinstructions and/or data, where the program instructions, if executed bya computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, e.g.,any of a method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of themethod embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets.

In some embodiments, a computer system may be configured to include aprocessor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium. The memorymedium stores program instructions. The processor is configured to readand execute the program instructions from the memory medium. The programinstructions are executable by the processor to implement any of thevarious method embodiments described herein (or, any combination of themethod embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets). Thecomputer system may be realized in any of various forms. For example,the computer system may be a personal computer (in any of its variousrealizations), a workstation, a computer on a card, anapplication-specific computer in a box, a server computer, a clientcomputer, a hand-held device, a tablet computer, a wearable computer,etc.

In some embodiments, a set of computers distributed across a network maybe configured to partition the effort of executing a computationalmethod (e.g., any of the method embodiments disclosed herein). In someembodiments, a first computer may be configured to receive a modulatedsignal and perform demodulation on the modulated signal to generate ademodulated signal. The first computer may send the samples of thedemodulated signal to a second computer through the network. The secondcomputer may operate on the demodulated signal samples according to anyof the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of themethod embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the methodembodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets.

In one set of embodiments, the context of the present invention is asfollows. A transmitter receives a stream of bits from a data source. Thetransmitter maps the bit stream into a stream {x_(k)} of symbols. Eachsymbol x_(k) of the symbol stream belongs to a set S in the complexplane. The set S is referred to as the “constellation”. Theconstellation depends on the modulation scheme being used by thetransmitter. The symbol stream is generated at a rate of 1/T symbols persecond, where T is the symbol duration.

The transmitter modulates a carrier signal (or an orthogonal pair ofcarrier signals) based on the symbol stream {x_(k)} to obtain amodulated signal, and transmits the modulated signal onto the channel.The channel may be a wireless channel or a wired channel. Typicalexamples for the channel include the atmosphere, free space, the ocean,coaxial cable, fiber optic cable and twisted pair cable.

A receiver receives a distorted version of the modulated signal from thechannel and down-converts the received signal to obtain a basebandsignal. The receiver samples the baseband signal, preferably at a ratehigher than the symbol rate, in order to generate a sequence {u_(n)} ofcomplex samples. For example, in one embodiment, the baseband signal issampled with a sampling rate equal to twice the symbol rate. Thus, inthis embodiment, the time between successive samples of the sequence{u_(n)} is T/2, where T is the symbol period.

The receiver includes an equalizer whose goal is to compensate for thedistorting effects of the channel. The equalizer includes adiscrete-time linear filter and a parameter estimation module.

The discrete-time linear filter generates a sequence {y_(n)} ofequalized samples by convolving the sample sequence {u_(n)} with animpulse response f provided by the parameter estimation module:{y _(n) }={u _(n) }*f

The impulse response f has finite length L and is represented by a setof L complex values and thus may be regarded as a vector of dimension2L. The impulse response f will be referred to herein as theequalization vector f. The equalized samples {y_(n)} may be down sampledto obtain a sequence {X_(k)} that constitutes an estimate of the symbolstream {x_(k)}. For example, in the case where the received samples{u_(n)} are captured at twice the symbol rate, the equalized samples{y_(n)} would be down sampled by a factor of two.

The parameter estimation module is responsible for determining theequalization vector f to be used by the discrete-time linear filter. Inparticular, the parameter estimation module may estimate an optimalequalization vector f_(OPT) based on the sample sequence {u_(n)}. Theparameter estimation module may operate without knowledge of themodulation scheme and/or the constellation that is used by thetransmitter to generate the symbol stream {x_(k)}.

In one set of embodiments, the parameter estimation module may computethe optimal equalization vector f_(OPT) based on a “variable modulusalgorithm” (VMA) as disclosed herein. The VMA may overcome one or moreof the limitations of the constant modulus algorithm by iterativelyadapting the value of parameter γ starting from a given initial value(e.g., the value one). The advantages of using the VMA may include oneor more of the following.

1. The VMA operates without any a priori knowledge of the modulationscheme or constellation used by the transmitter.

2. For a 10-tap T/2 fractionally-spaced channel (i.e., a channelspreading over five symbol periods), it took 5000 received samples forthe CMA to converge, whereas the VMA could bring in same level ofequalization using only 3000 received samples. The channel coefficientsused in this specific embodiment were:

-   -   0.0545+0.05i, 0.2832−0.1197i, −0.7676+0.2788i,    -   −0.0641+0.0576i, 0.0566+0.2275i, 0.4063+0.0739i,    -   0.2−0.3i, −0.9+0.3i, 0.05+0.06i, 0-0.7i.

3. For the same number of received symbols of a constant-amplitudecontinuous-phase frequency-modulated signal (such as Gaussian MinimumShift Keying), the VMA converges to a significantly lower residualdistortion as compared to the CMA for the same multipath conditions andsame signal-to-noise ratio. (Residual distortion is defined as the meansquare error between the transmitted symbol stream and the equalizedsymbol stream after removing any constant gain or phase error.)

Fractionally-Spaced Equalization

As described above, the equalizer performs equalization on the receivedsample sequence {u_(n)} by convolving the received sample sequence withan optimal equalization vector f_(OPT). While is it possible to achieveequalization when the received sample sequence is captured with a samplerate equal to the symbol rate, in the preferred embodiments the receivedsample sequence is captured at a rate higher than symbol rate, e.g., atsome multiple of the symbol rate. Thus, in the preferred embodiments,the equalizer is referred to as a “fractionally-spaced equalizer” (FSE)since the time between successive coefficients in the equalizationvector f_(OPT) is a fraction of the symbol period T.

In one embodiment, the received sample sequence is captured at twice thesymbol rate. In this case, the output sequence {y_(n)} of the equalizeris decimated by a factor of two, e.g., by selecting every other sample.

The Variable Modulus Algorithm

In the VMA, the value of the modulus parameter γ is iteratively adapted.Each iteration I_(j) of the VMA operates on a corresponding block B_(j)of the received samples {u_(n)} using a current value γ_(j) of themodulus parameter. In particular, the VMA executes an optimizationalgorithm (e.g., a stochastic gradient descent algorithm) to minimize acost function J_(VMA) over the space of equalization vectors f based onthe block B_(j) of the received samples {u_(n)} and the current modulusparameter value γ_(j). The cost function J_(VMA) has the form:J _(VMA)(f)=E{(|y _(n)|²−γ_(j))²},  (4)

The expectation E is based on a set of samples y_(n) derived from theconvolution of the block B_(i) with the equalization vector f. Forexample, in one embodiment,

$\begin{matrix}{{{J_{VMA}(f)} = {\frac{1}{L}{\sum\limits_{k = 0}^{L - 1}\;\left( {{y_{{jL} + k}}^{2} - \gamma_{j}} \right)^{2}}}},} & (5) \\{{y_{{jL} + k} = {\sum\limits_{i = 0}^{L - 1}\;{u_{{jL} + k - i}{f(i)}}}},} & (6)\end{matrix}$where f(i) denotes the i^(th) component of the equalization vector f, orequivalently, the value of impulse response f at time i. The notation|z| represents the modulus (radius) of the complex value z.

The minimization of the cost function results in a current minimizingvector (f_(MIN))_(j). The samples y_(n) obtained from the convolution ofthe block B_(j) and the minimizing vector (f_(MIN))_(j) are used tocompute an updated modulus parameter value for the next iteration:γ_(j+1) =E[|y _(n)|⁴ ]/E[|y _(n)|²].  (7)

The minimization in the next iteration I_(j+1) may start from thecurrent minimizing vector (f_(MIN))_(j). The iterations may continueuntil the parameter value γ_(i) stabilizes, e.g., until the change in γfrom one iteration to the next becomes sufficiently small:Δγ_(j)=γ_(j)−γ_(j−1)|Δγ_(j)|<ε,where ε is a small positive constant, e.g., a user-specified constant.In some embodiments, the sequence of parameter values {γ_(j)} issmoothed, and the stabilization test is applied to the smoothed valueinstead of the parameter value itself.

In one alternative embodiment, the VMA performs a number of iterationsthat is determined by the sample length N of the received samplesequence {u_(n)} and the sample length L of the impulse response f. Forexample, the number of iterations may be equal to N/L. In anotheralternative embodiment, the VMA performs a user-specified number ofiterations.

As noted above, each iteration I_(j) of the VMA operates on acorresponding block B_(j) of the received sample sequence {u_(n)}. Insome embodiments, the blocks are overlapping blocks that together coverthe entirety of the received sample sequence. For example, in oneembodiment, block B_(j) is a block of sample length 2L which overlapswith the next block B_(j+1) in its last L samples, e.g., as given by:B _(j) ={u _(n) :n=j*L+i,i=0,1,2, . . . ,(2L−1)}

-   -   for j=0, 1, . . . , (N/L−1),        where N is the number of samples in the received sample        sequence, where L is the sample length of the impulse response        f.

As noted above, each iteration I_(j) of the VMA involves minimizing thecost function J_(VMA) based on the block B_(j) and the current modulusparameter value γ_(i). A conventional gradient descent algorithm wouldminimize the cost function by performing repeated updates of the form:f _(i+1) =f _(i)−μ∇_(f) J _(VMA)(f _(i))  (8)where μ is the step size, ∇_(f) is the gradient operator with respect toequalization vector f. However, in the preferred embodiment, theminimization is performed using a stochastic gradient descent algorithm.The stochastic gradient descent algorithm may perform repeated updatesof the form:f _(n+1) =f _(n)−μ∇_(f)(|y _(n)|²−γ_(j))²,  (9)for n=jL+k, k=0, 1, 2, . . . , (L−1).

The parameter L may take any value in a wide range of values. Similarly,the parameter μ make take any value in a wide range of values. In oneparticular embodiment, the parameters L and μ take the values 12 and0.005 respectively.

Because the VMA iteratively adapts the modulus parameter γ, the initialvalue γ₀ of the modulus parameter may be chosen arbitrarily. Inparticular, the initial value γ₀ may be chosen without any a prioriknowledge of the constellation properties. For example, the initialvalue γ₀ may be set to the value 1.0 independent of the modulationscheme and/or constellation order being used by the transmitter. Theadaptation process guarantees that the modulus parameter will eventuallyconverge to a value appropriate for the modulation scheme andconstellation being used in any given situation.

In some embodiments, the advantages of the VMA may include one or moreof the following.

1. The VMA operates without any a priori knowledge of the modulationscheme implicit in the received signal. In one embodiment,channel-affected signals of different modulation schemes like PSK(4,8,16,32) and QAM (4,8,16,32,64) were successfully tested for a SNRlevel of 20 dB and higher. The initialization of equalizer parameterswas kept independent of the modulation scheme used in the transmitterand thus the fractionally-sampled received signal was the sole input tothe VMA.

2. For a 10-tap fractionally-spaced channel (i.e., a channel spreadingover five symbol periods), it took 5000 received samples of a 8-QAMmodulated signal for the CMA to converge, whereas the VMA can achievethe same residual distortion using 3000 received samples only. Thechannel coefficients used in this specific embodiment were:

-   -   0.0545+0.05i, 0.2832−0.1197i, −0.7676+0.2788i,    -   −0.0641+0.0576i, 0.0566+0.2275i, 0.4063+0.0739i,    -   0.2−0.3i, −0.9+0.3i, 0.05+0.06i, 0−0.7i,        and the signal-to-noise ratio was set to 25 dB. FIG. 1 shows the        constellation plot of equalized signal {y_(n)} given an 8-QAM        modulated signal using VMA in a fractionally-spaced equalizer.

The mean squared distance and maximum deviation from mean ofconstellation clusters are used as measures to compare the convergenceof VMA and CMA for the same data set. 2500 received symbols of a 4-QAMmodulated signal are taken and the above measures were calculated forthe output of both the equalizers.

The CMA equalized constellation had a mean square residual error of11.631. The corresponding VMA output had a significantly lower meansquare error of 5.583. In both cases, mean square error was computed byclustering the equalizer output into clusters corresponding to each ofthe points in the expected constellation and then computing the mean ofeach cluster.

3. For the same number of received symbols (1555) of aconstant-amplitude continuous-phase frequency-modulated signal such asGMSK, the VMA converges to a significantly lower residual distortion ascompared to the CMA for the same channel conditions and samesignal-to-noise ratio. FIG. 2B shows the constellation plot of achannel-affected GMSK signal extracted from a GSM burst (whose actualconstellation diagram is shown in FIG. 2A). FIGS. 2C and 2D show theconstellation diagrams after equalization using CMA and VMArespectively. As is clearly evident from the plots, the equalized outputof VMA resembles the original constellation more than what is obtainedusing CMA blind equalization. The observations were taken using the samechannel and SNR values as stated earlier.

In one set of embodiments, a method for performing blind equalization onreceived samples may include a set of operations as shown in FIG. 3. Theembodiments of the variable modulus algorithm (VMA) described above maybe interpreted as embodiments of the method of FIG. 3.

At 310, a processor may receive a block {u_(n)} of the received samples,e.g., as variously described above.

At 315, the processor may minimize a function J of a vector argument fto determine a minimizing vector f_(MIN), wherein the function J dependson the vector argument f according to the expressionJ(f)=Σ(|y _(n)|²−γ)²,wherein the summation Σ corresponds to a sequence {y_(n)} of equalizedsamples, wherein the sequence {y_(n)} of equalized samples is related tothe block {u_(n)} of received samples according to a convolutionrelation {y_(n)}={u_(n)}*f, wherein γ is a current modulus parametervalue. The summation E includes one term of the form (|y_(n)|²−γ)² foreach sample y_(n) in the sequence {y_(n)}

It is noted that the minimization of the function J(f) is equivalent tothe minimization of the function kJ(f), where k is any positive realvalue. In other words, the multiplication by positive scalar k does notchange the location of the minimum. Thus, e.g., it is not necessary toperform the multiplication by (1/L) shown in the cost function ofexpression (5).

At 320, the processor may compute a fourth moment of the sequence{y_(n)} corresponding to the minimizing vector f_(MIN). The fourthmoment of the sequence {y_(n)} is defined as E[|y_(n)|⁴].

At 325, the processor may compute a second moment of the sequence{y_(n)} corresponding to the minimizing vector f_(MIN). The secondmoment of the sequence {y_(n)} is defined as E[|y_(n)|²].

At 330, the processor may update the current modulus parameter value γto be equal to a ratio of the fourth moment to the second moment.

At 335, the processor may repeat operations 310 through 330 until atermination condition is satisfied, e.g., as variously described above.

At 340, the processor may convolve the received samples with theminimizing vector f_(MIN) from a last of the repetitions of operations310 through 330 in order to determine final equalized samples. In theabove discussion of the VMA, this last minimizing vector f_(MIN) isreferred to as f_(OPT).

In some embodiments, the termination condition is the condition that achange in the current modulus parameter value γ between successiverepetitions of operations 310 through 330 is smaller than apredetermined threshold, e.g., as described above.

In some embodiments, the method may further include: displaying aconstellation plot of the final equalized samples via a display device,e.g., as shown in FIG. 1.

In some embodiments, the method may also include: receiving user inputidentifying a modulation type and constellation order after thedisplaying of the constellation plot; and demodulating the finalequalized samples based on the identified modulation type and theidentified constellation order in order to obtain a bit sequence. Uponviewing the displayed constellation plot, the modulation type andconstellation order may be apparent to the user. (The system of thepresent invention may include a graphical user interface allowing theuser to assert said identification by selecting from a set of knownmodulation types.) The bit sequence may be further processed to extracta stream of information bits. The information bits may be converted toan analog signal; the analog signal may be used to drive an outputdevice (such as a display device or speaker).

In some embodiments, the method may also include: performing a clusteranalysis (e.g., a K-means cluster analysis) on the final equalizedsamples to determine a constellation order implicit in the receivedsamples.

In some embodiments, the process of minimizing the function J includesperforming a stochastic gradient descent algorithm, e.g., as describedabove in connection with the VMA.

In some embodiments, the method operates without any a priori knowledgeof the modulation type used by a transmitter to form the receivedsamples.

In some embodiments, a next repetition of said minimizing starts withthe minimizing vector f_(MIN) determined in a current repetition of saidminimizing, e.g., as described above in connection with the VMA.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a computer system 900 that may beused to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or, anycombination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset ofany of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination ofsuch subsets.

Computer system 900 may include a processing unit 910, a system memory912, a set 915 of one or more storage devices, a communication bus 920,a set 925 of input devices, and a display system 930.

System memory 912 may include a set of semiconductor devices such as RAMdevices (and perhaps also a set of ROM devices).

Storage devices 915 may include any of various storage devices such asone or more memory media and/or memory access devices. For example,storage devices 915 may include devices such as a CD/DVD-ROM drive, ahard disk, a magnetic disk drive, magnetic tape drives, etc.

Processing unit 910 is configured to read and execute programinstructions, e.g., program instructions stored in system memory 912and/or on one or more of the storage devices 915. Processing unit 910may couple to system memory 912 through communication bus 920 (orthrough a system of interconnected busses). The program instructionsconfigure the computer system 900 to implement a method, e.g., any ofthe method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of themethod embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the methodembodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

Processing unit 910 may include one or more processors (e.g.,microprocessors).

One or more users may supply input to the computer system 900 throughthe input devices 925. Input devices 925 may include devices such as akeyboard, a mouse, a touch-sensitive pad, a touch-sensitive screen, agraphics tablet, a track ball, a light pen, a data glove, eyeorientation and/or head orientation sensors, a microphone (or set ofmicrophones), or any combination thereof.

The display system 930 may include any of a wide variety of displaydevices representing any of a wide variety of display technologies. Forexample, the display system may be a computer monitor, a head-mounteddisplay, a projector system, a volumetric display, or a combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the display system may include a pluralityof display devices. In one embodiment, the display system may include aprinter and/or a plotter.

In some embodiments, the computer system 900 may include other devices,e.g., devices such as one or more graphics accelerators, one or morespeakers, a sound card, a video camera and a video card.

In some embodiments, computer system 900 may include one or morecommunication devices 935, e.g., a network interface card forinterfacing with a computer network. In one embodiment, computer system900 may receive a modulated signal (e.g., a modulated RF signal) andperform signal processing operations on the modulated signal using sucha communication device.

In some embodiments, the communication devices may include areconfigurable I/O (RIO) board that includes one or more programmablehardware elements (PHEs), one or more A/D converters and additionalcircuitry. The RIO board is programmable to achieve a user-desiredconfiguration of input and/or output processing, e.g., via a programwritten using LabVIEW FPGA. In some embodiments, the additionalcircuitry of the RIO board may include circuitry optimized for variouskinds of signal processing operations and/or circuitry configured forsignal amplification, carrier signal generation and synchronization,clock signal generation and synchronization, RF down-conversion, any ofvarious kinds of demodulation, etc. The RIO board may receive an inputsignal, down-convert the input signal to baseband, digitize the basebandsignal, and make the digitized baseband samples available to thecomputer system 900 for further processing, e.g., processing accordingto any of the method embodiments disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, the reconfigurable I/O board is one of the RIOboards provided by National Instrument Corporation.

The computer system may be configured with a software infrastructureincluding an operating system, and perhaps also, one or more graphicsAPIs (such as OpenGL®, Direct3D, Java 3D™). In some embodiments, thesoftware infrastructure may include LabVIEW and/or LabVIEW FPGA, whichare software products of National Instruments Corporation.

In some embodiments, the computer system 900 may be configured forcoupling to a data acquisition system 940. The data acquisition system940 is configured to receive analog inputs signals, to digitize theanalog input signals, and to make those digitized signals available tothe computer system 900. The data acquisition system 940 may operateunder the control of the software executing on processor 910.

In some embodiments, the computer system 900 may be configured tointerface with a specialized receiver system 950, e.g., an off-the-shelfreceiver system designed for capturing radio signals (such as RFsignals, wireless LAN signals, etc.), down-converting the capturedsignals, and sampling the down-converted signals.

FIG. 5 illustrates one possible embodiment 900A for computer system 900.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary wireless device 600, such as a wirelesstelephone, which may implement embodiments of the invention.

Although the embodiments above have been described in considerabledetail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent tothose skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated.It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace allsuch variations and modifications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for operating a receiver system toperform blind equalization, the method comprising: receiving, by thereceiver system, a communication signal from a communication channel inresponse to a transmission of a transmit signal onto the communicationchannel by a transmitter; generating, by the receiver system, samples ofthe received communication signal; equalizing, by the receiver system, ablock of the samples, wherein said equalizing includes minimizing afunction J of a vector argument f to determine a minimizing vectorf_(MIN), wherein each evaluation of the function J includes convolvingthe vector argument f with the block of samples to obtain a sequence{y_(n)} of equalized samples, and evaluating a quadratic form in termsof expressions {|y_(n)|²−γ}, wherein γ is a current modulus parametervalue; updating, by the receiver system, the current modulus parametervalue γ based on a ratio of a fourth moment value to a second momentvalue, wherein the fourth moment value is a fourth moment of thesequence {y_(n)} corresponding to the minimizing vector f_(MIN), whereinthe second moment value is a second moment of the sequence {y_(n)}corresponding to the minimizing vector f_(MIN); repeating saidequalizing and said updating a plurality of times using respectiveblocks of the samples; and convolving at least a subset of the sampleswith the minimizing vector f_(MIN) from one of said repetitions of saidequalizing and said updating in order to determine final equalizedsamples, wherein the final equalized samples are representative of thetransmit signal.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said equalizing andsaid updating are repeated until a termination condition is satisfied,wherein the termination condition is the condition that a change in thecurrent modulus parameter value γ between successive repetitions of saidequalizing and said updating is smaller than a predetermined threshold.3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying a constellationplot of the final equalized samples using a display device.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: demodulating the final equalizedsamples based on a specified modulation type and a specifiedconstellation order in order to obtain a bit sequence, wherein the bitsequence represents information that has been embedded in the transmitsignal by the transmitter.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:performing a cluster analysis on the final equalized samples todetermine a constellation order implicit in the transmit signal; anddisplaying an indication of the constellation order via a displaydevice.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said minimizing the function Jcomprises performing a stochastic gradient descent algorithm.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said method operates without any priorknowledge of the modulation type used by the transmitter to generate thetransmit signal.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein a next repetition ofsaid equalizing starts with the minimizing vector f_(MIN) determined ina current repetition of said equalizing.
 9. A non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium that stores program instructions,wherein the program instructions are executable by a computer system,wherein the program instructions, when executed by the computer system,cause the computer system to: perform blind equalization on samples of acommunication signal, wherein the communication signal is received froma communication channel in response to transmission of a transmit signalonto the communication channel by a transmitter, wherein said performingblind equalization includes: equalizing a block of the samples, whereinsaid equalizing includes minimizing a function J of a vector argument fto determine a minimizing vector f_(MIN), wherein each evaluation of thefunction J includes convolving the vector argument f with the block ofsamples to obtain a sequence {y_(n)} of equalized samples, andevaluating a quadratic form in terms of expressions {|y_(n)|²−γ},wherein γ is a current modulus parameter value; updating the currentmodulus parameter value γ based on a ratio of a fourth moment value to asecond moment value, wherein the fourth moment value is a fourth momentof the sequence {y_(n)} corresponding to the minimizing vector f_(MIN),wherein the second moment value is a second moment of the sequence{y_(n)} corresponding to the minimizing vector f_(MIN); repeating saidequalizing and said updating a plurality of times using respectiveblocks of the samples; and convolving at least a subset of the sampleswith the minimizing vector f_(MIN) from one of said repetitions of saidequalizing and said updating in order to determine final equalizedsamples, wherein the final equalized samples are representative of thetransmit signal.
 10. The memory medium of claim 9, wherein saidequalizing and said updating are repeated until a termination conditionis satisfied, wherein the termination condition is the condition that achange in the current modulus parameter value γ between successiverepetitions of said equalizing and said updating is smaller than apredetermined threshold.
 11. The memory medium of claim 9, wherein theprogram instructions, when executed by the computer system, furthercause the computer system to: display a constellation plot of the finalequalized samples via a display device.
 12. The memory medium of claim9, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the computersystem, cause the computer system to: demodulate the final equalizedsamples based on a specified modulation type and a specifiedconstellation order in order to obtain a bit sequence, wherein the bitsequence represents information that has been embedded in the transmitsignal by the transmitter.
 13. The memory medium of claim 9, whereinsaid minimizing the function J comprises performing a stochasticgradient descent algorithm.
 14. The memory medium of claim 9, wherein anext repetition of said equalizing starts with the minimizing vectorf_(MIN) determined in a current repetition of said equalizing.
 15. Areceiver system for performing blind equalization, the receiver systemcomprising: circuitry configured to: receive a communication signal froma communication channel in response to a transmission of a transmitsignal onto the communication channel by a transmitter; and generatesamples of the received communication signal; a processor; and memorystoring program instructions, wherein the program instructions, whenexecuted by the processor, cause the processor to: equalize a block ofthe samples, wherein said equalizing including minimizing a function Jof a vector argument f to determine a minimizing vector f_(MIN), whereineach evaluation of the function J includes convolving the vectorargument f with the block of samples to obtain a sequence {y_(n)} ofequalized samples, and evaluating a quadratic form in terms ofexpressions {|y_(n) ²−γ}, wherein γ is a current modulus parametervalue; update the current modulus parameter value γ based on a ratio ofa fourth moment value to a second moment value, wherein the fourthmoment value is a fourth moment of the sequence {y_(n)} corresponding tothe minimizing vector f_(MIN), wherein the second moment value is asecond moment of the sequence {y_(n)} corresponding to the minimizingvector f_(MIN); repeat said equalizing and said updating a plurality oftimes using respective blocks of the samples; and convolve at least asubset of the samples with the minimizing vector f_(MIN) from one ofsaid repetitions of said equalizing and said updating in order todetermine final equalized samples, wherein the final equalized samplesare representative of the transmit signal.
 16. The receiver system ofclaim 15, wherein said equalizing and said updating are repeated until atermination condition is satisfied, wherein the termination condition isthe condition that a change in the current modulus parameter value γbetween successive repetitions of said equalizing and said updating issmaller than a predetermined threshold.
 17. The receiver system of claim15, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the processor to display a constellation plot of the finalequalized samples via a display device.
 18. The receiver system of claim15, wherein the program instructions, when executed by the processor,further cause the processor to: demodulate the final equalized samplesbased on a specified modulation type and a specified constellation orderin order to obtain a bit sequence, wherein the bit sequence representsinformation that has been embedded in the transmit signal by thetransmitter.
 19. The receiver system of claim 15, wherein saidminimizing the function J comprises performing a stochastic gradientdescent algorithm.
 20. The receiver system of claim 15, wherein a nextrepetition of said equalizing starts with the minimizing vector f_(MIN)determined in a current repetition of said equalizing.